Going Green

Alex Smith will get the start tomorrow night against the Raiders at Candlestick Park. Smith said he and Shaun Hill will receive about the same amount of reps as they did in the exhibition opener. Both quarterbacks will work with the first team.

Running back Frank Gore is expected to play briefly, maybe six plays or so, and coach Mike Singletary said wide receiver Isaac Bruce could also get some time. Pass rusher Parys Haralson is out with a foot injury and Ahmad Brooks will start in the place. The newly-signed Eric Green will sit out.

49ERS GOING GREEN: The 49ers newest niner talked with the media after Friday’s walk-through. He said he never fit in with the Dolphins, where everything was too prescribed. Green signed with Miami shortly after an off-season visit to the 49ers.

“I knew it was a mistake,” Green said. “But of course, I couldn’t say that.”

Green said the 49ers are similar to his team of origin, Arizona, where cornerbacks can decide on their own whether to press or lay off. In Miami, Green said the higher-ups objected to players chewing gum in meetings.

He also had trouble finding the passion with the Dolphins. In fact, after allowing three straight completions in the preseason opener, Green said he received a text from his mother after the game saying he needed to play with greater verve.

Then on Wednesday, Green received another text from his mom at 7 in the morning, saying it was a new day. After going through the morning practice, Green was called into the coach’s office and released.

“I almost felt relieved,” he said. Within the hour, the 49ers called and Green told his agent to make the deal.

“I’m on fire right now,” Green said about his motivation level.

One observer of Dolphins’ practice said Green didn’t play well and in the exhibition game opener against Jacksonville, he yielded a 25-yarder to Troy Williamson. The Dolphins are also very high on their rookie cornerbacks, including first-round pick Vontae Davis, who’s Vernon Davis’s younger brother.

Also, Bill Parcels likes to cut veterans early to send a message that no one on the roster is safe, and maybe Green was this year’s victim.

The more important question is, where is Green going to fit in? I would think he would challenge Marcus Hudson for a backup spot and possibly Mark Roman as the dime defense safety. The 49ers countered Denver’s multi-receiver with a nickel with Shawntae Spencer and Roman as the extra defensive backs.

Green said that he would learn everything, and even volunteered to learn safety, which could mean a challenge to Roman. Hudson looked to play well against Denver, including knocking a pass away on a shallow cross in the second quarter.

Hudson often plays a hybrid linebacker/defensive back role in the dime defense, lining up as a linebacker and patrolling the short zones. Green has a reputation as a tough player, who could probably handle that role and possibly provide more coverage skills.